Bolt action magazine firearm with a cantilever spring for holding cartridges in the magazine



June 25, 1963 N 3, 94,803

F. 'r. GREE 0 BOLT ACTION MAGAZINE FIREARM WITH A CANTILEVER' SPRING FOR HOLDING CARTRIDGES IN THE MAGAZINE Filed Feb. 23. 1961 INVENTOR FRANK T. GREEN ATTORNEY BGLT ACTION MAGAZINE FIREARM WITH A CANTILEVER SPRING FOR HOLDING CART- RIDGES IN THE MAGAZINE Frank T. Green, I-Iaydenville, Mass., assignor to Noble Manufacturing (30., Inc., Haydenville, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Feb. 23, 1961, Ser. No. 91,072 9 Claims. (CI. 4218) This invention relates to a new and improved bolt action firearm usable for any kind of ammunition but particularly adapted to use as -a shotgun. The principal objects of the invention include the provision of a new and improved one-piece combined receiver, magazine box, and housing of the fire control parts made integral as by casting, including the portion of the receiver that holds and guides the bolt in the reciprocatory and rotary action thereof, to the end that the production of the firearm is made faster, less expensive, and with less machining necessary than in prior art constructions wherein these parts are made separately and connected together, and also resulting in improved recoil characteristics and strength.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a cantilever type spring which is associated with the magazine box at the top portion thereof adjacent the boltway portion of the receiver, said cantilever spring being secured at one end to a part of the combined receiver described above and terminating in a free end having a laterally projecting manual shell holding and release finger hold, the purpose of this spring being multiple as it retains the shells in the magazine box, it may have a notch or similar means providing for an ejector for empty shells brought rearwardly or extracted by the bolt as the bolt is brought in a rearward direction in the bolt-way; and it provides a manual shell release, permitting the shells to be released from the magazine when it is desired to empty the magazine, while allowing ejection of the fired shells upon retraction of the bolt.

The unit construction of the receiver, magazine box and housing, etc. provides seating the action in a manner such that recoil thrust is absorbed over a greater area, and making a more secure seating between the action and the stock, with the advantage that the recoil due to shooting will not loosen the stock seat or cause it to break away, as in prior art guns with less seat area; also the action, being held more securely, does not shift with relation to the wood of the stock, such shifting causing movable parts such as trigger or safety to become inoperative. This construction also makes it possible to provide a projecting ledge on the frame or receiver which covers any opening left by the stock inletting, thus improving the appearance of the firearm and preventing dirt and particles from entering the cavity of the action.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation illustrating the firearm in general, the barrel being broken away;

FIG. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale illustrating the action and magazine, the bolt and the stock having been omitted for clarity of illustration;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the parts shown in FIG. 2,

looking in the direction of arrow 3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is -a section on line 4-4 of FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is a view on an enlarged scale, being a section taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged section on line 6-6 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 7 is a view showing a modified spring construction.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a gunstock 10, a barrel 12, trigger 14, trigger guard 16 and a receiver generally indicated at 18. This receiver is shown in detail in the other figures and in general is cast in a single piece with the frame, magazine box 20, the trigger mounting plates 22, etc. There are two plates 22 which are mutually spaced to receive the trigger 14 therebetween on a trigger pin 24. There is .a sear 26 and a safety member 28 operated by a finger lever 30 mounted on the plates 22 in position to be actuated by the operator of the firearm, the lever 30 being located toward the rear portion of the receiver.

The receiver and frame member also includes as an integral part thereof a generally cylindrical elongated member 32 forming a way for the bolt 34 and this member is formed in such a way as to provide a guide for the bolt and a port at 36 for loading shells into the magazine and for extracting the same.

The magazine box 20 is provided with a pin 38 which mounts a spring 40 and a follower 42, the shells being pushed downwardly through port 36 as seen in FIG. 3 onto follower 42 depressing the same against the action of the spring 40 to load the magazine. The spring of course moves the follower and the shells upwardly to a point where the bolt may pick up the topmost shell and seat it in the chamber in the barrel 112. The bolt may also be provided with the usual extractor and ejection means.

The magazine box 20 is provided with a slot at the right-hand top portion thereof, see FIG. 5, at 44 and this slot accommodates a flange or ledge 46 which is generally horizontal and extends inwardly to the left in FIG. 6 and comprises a portion of the cantilever spring 48. The cantilever spring 48 is mounted at its forward end as at 50 and is free at its opposite or rear end and having a fingerhold 52 for motion thereof as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3. The stock of the firearm prevents the exaggerated motion illustrated in FIG. 3 but this is shown for purposes of illustration.

When the shells are loaded downwardly in the magazine, the rear end portions at the rims thereof engage the inner edge of flange 46 and cause the same to become slightly dislodge dagainst the action of spring 48 in order for the shells to pass the flange and underlie the same so that the flange 46 is seen to hold the shells down in position. However, when it is desired to manually release the shells, the operator engages the thumbpiece 52 and moves the spring 48 sufficiently to release the flange 46 from the cartridges whereupon the spring 40 will tend to move the same up and unload the firearm through the ejector and loading port.

As seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, the one-piece combined magazine box receiver, frame and housing for the fire control parts is provided with ledges along the sides thereof, the left-hand ledge being shown at 54 and the right-hand side having a ledge at the rear portion thereof at 56 and another spaced ledge 58, the ledge 58 serving the purposes of the other ledges 54 and 56 and also covering spring 48 at the top edge thereof in its normal condition which is shown in FIG. 5.

These ledges are located in such a way as to cover the edges of the inletting openings, and this improves the appearance of the gun and also prevents any dirt and particles from entering the action cavity. The magazine box is preferably made short enough so that it is completely housed within the stock 10.

The bolt of course has the usual rectilinear and rotary motion for the purpose of actuating the firearm. As the bolt is brought back, the topmost cartridge in the magazine box is moved upward to a position where the front face of the bolt will engage the base of the cartridge and cause it to be moved forward and become seated in the chamber. The bolt also contains the generally usual firing pin which is controlled by the sear as is Well known by those skilled in the art. When the bolt is retracted, its extractor brings the empty shell with it as usual and the ejector is positioned in such a way as to throw vthe empty shell out through the loading port 36 upon the bolt being received in its rearwardmost position.

The flange or ledge 46 of the spring 48 overlies the follower plate 42 to a small extent so that as shells are loaded, the follower can descend but at the same time the shells become latched .under the edge of the ledge 46. This ledge 46 is preferably tapered in a forward direction as shown in FIG. 3 to provide for a smooth actuation of loading, firing, etc. of the shells.

With the bolt locked in breech closed position and the gun being fired, the recoil thrust is absorbed over a larger area than in the prior art and particularly the rear wall area of the magazine box receives a substantial amount of this recoil so that a more secure seating between action and stock isprovided, and the recoil due to shooting will not loosen the stock seat or cause it to break away.

with this particular part and there is less machining and assembly work to do in assembling the action of this firearm than in a conventional firearm.

The cantilever spring 48-allows easy loading and also unloadingof unfired shells as well as providing a latch for the'loaded shells in the magazine and does not interfere with the proper feeding of the shells upwardly into the path of the bolt.

In seating the cartridge in the chamber, the action is that the front face of the bolt engages the rear portion of the cartridge and moves it forwardly to a position where the spring causes the cartridge to pop slightly up wardly past the ledge 46 and the tapered shape of this ledge of course makes this action easier and smoother because as the shell is moved forwardly, it gradually moves off from the tapered ledge of the spring 48.

The spring 48 is shown in modified form in FIG. 7. In this case, the spring is indicated at 60 and extends forw'andly, being secured to the receiver by the fastener '62 at a point well to the rear of the ejector port. A flange or ledge 64 is provided at the forward end of the spring 60 and serves the purposes as before of holding the cartridges in the magazine and releasing the same when the spring is deflected. .However, the flange or ledge 64 is notched at- 66 forming anejector shoulder 68, and as the cartridge 70 is extracted, it strikes the shoulder and is ejected.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

11. A bolt actuated firearm comprising a barrel, re-

.ceiver, stock, a magazine. and -a bolt associated with said receiver, a magazine spring, a magazine follower on the spring, a loading port in the receiver, cartridges being adapted to be thrust downwardly through the port onto the follower, a cantilever spring, said cantilever spring being connected at one end with said receiver, the cantilever spring being substantially free at its other end, and means adjacent the free end of said cantilever spring extending into the loading port in the area of the follower overlying the same, said cantilever spring engaging a portion of the topmost shell in the magazine and holding the same in position therein against the action of the magazine spring until such time as the bolt is moved forwardly to move the shell from the magazine follower toward the breech.

2. The firearm [as recited in claim 1 wherein said means on the cantilever spring is in the form of a ledge.

3. The firearm as recited in claim 1 wherein said means on the cantilever spring is in the form of a ledge, said ledge being tapered in a forward direction so that the cartridge, in being moved toward the chamber by the bolt, gradually .runs off the ledge.

means on the cantilever spring is in the form of a ledge and there "being a shoulder on the ledge to eject cartridges duringthe extraction thereof.

6. The firearm of claim :1 including ejector means on the cantilever spring.

7. The firearm as recited in claim l-including a thumbpiece on said cantilever spring adjacent the free end thereof for movingthe cantilever spring laterally to disengage said means from the topmost shell so that the magazine can be unloaded.

8. A bolt actuated firearm comprising a stock, barrel, receiver and firing parts, a loading port in the receiver, a magazine fixed with relation to said receiver and positioned to receive cartridges loaded downwardly through said port into the magazine, a magazine spring against the action of which the shells are loaded, an elongated spring mounted adjacentone end thereof on the receiver, said elongated spring extending rearwardly and having a length the substantial equivalent tov the length of the loading port, a laterally extending flat ledge on said elongated spring, said ledge extending slightly into the area of the receiver and positioned to hold cartridges therein against the action of the magazine spring, and means for retracting said ledge to allow said cartridges to be manually extracted from the magazine.

9. The firearm asrecited in claim 8 wherein said elongated spring is flat and mounted in fiatwise contacting relationship with respect to said magazine.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 515,348 Marga Feb. 27, 1894 580,935 Ehbets Apr. 20, 1897 664,929 Corbett Jan. 1, 1901 1,124,071 Starnm Jan. 5, 1915 1,517,483 Young Dec. 2, 1924 2,275,213 Wise Mar. 3, 1942 2,484,444 Benson Oct. 11, 1949 2,571,132 Harvey Oct. 16, 1 

1. A BOLT ACTUATED FIREARM COMPRISING A BARREL, RECEIVER, STOCK, A MAGAZINE AND A BOLT ASSOCIATED WITH SAID RECEIVER, A MAGAZINE SPRING, A MAGAZINE FOLLOWER ON THE SPRING, A LOADING PORT IN THE RECEIVER, CARTRIDGES BEING ADAPTED TO BE THRUST DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE PORT ONTO THE FOLLOWER, A CANTILEVER SPRING, SAID CANTILEVER SPRING BEING CONNECTED AT ONE END WITH SAID RECEIVER, THE CANTILEVER SPRING BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FREE AT ITS OTHER END, AND MEANS ADJACENT THE FREE END OF SAID CANTILEVER SPRING EXTENDING INTO THE LOADING PORT IN THE AREA OF THE FOLLOWER OVERLYING THE SAME, SAID CANTILEVER SPRING ENGAGING A PORTION OF THE TOPMOST SHELL IN THE MAGAZINE AND HOLDING THE SAME IN POSITION THEREIN AGAINST THE ACTION OF THE MAGAZINE SPRING UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THE BOLT IS MOVED FORWARDLY TO MOVE THE SHELL FROM THE MAGAZINE FOLLOWER TOWARD THE BREECH. 